The #1 New York Times bestseller, and the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton!Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation.“Grand-scale biography at its best—thorough, insightful, consistently fair, and superbly written . . . A genuinely great … fair, and superbly written . . . A genuinely great book.” —David McCullough
“A robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all.” —Joseph Ellis
Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. “To repudiate his legacy,” Chernow writes, “is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world.” Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we’ve encountered before—from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton’s famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804.
Chernow’s biography is not just a portrait of Hamilton, but the story of America’s birth seen through its most central figure. At a critical time to look back to our roots, Alexander Hamilton will remind readers of the purpose of our institutions and our heritage as Americans.
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Always a great read with Ron !
Have not seen the play but have been to NYC and explored many of the places that Hamilton frequented, unbeknownst to me at the time. I’ll certainly seek out some of these historic places when next i travel to New York.
Any biography that leaves me crying and wanting it to never end is an excellent read! Loved every word.
Long but N excellent bit of history often overlooked
I love history. This was as a very informative book. I learned so much!
Do yourself a favor, skip the musical, stay home and read the book.
Great if you want a textbook account of Hamilton
Many insights into how our nation was formed. Hamilton is a fascinating character.
This is definitely not an easy-to-read book and I would suggest reading it in small time frames. The amount of information is huge and fascinating but can be overwhelming in large doses. It became my “doctor’s office” book…anytime I had a doctor or dentist appointment or any other time I knew I would be waiting, it went with me. I learned so much about our country’s history and the characters of those who forged our nation. Hamilton did so much for our country and in my view has been under-appreciated by our history teachers. What I learned led me to investigate other parts of our history. Next up is to see the play.
While sometimes a bit repetitive and one-sided, this biography of Alexander Hamilton is thorough and interesting.
This is a biography. Anyone who reads American History knows who the book is about. But maybe those people don’t know about who Alexander Hamilton really is…. And I think this book give one a closer look at who this Founding Father really was.
I loved it but it was too long for me. I think he also has an abbreviated version out if you are less of a historian like me.
Long but learned so very much
It’s a very long book but is written so well that it doesn’t seem to be long.
Great book. Learned so much about our founding fathers.
As good as the musical.
Hamilton provided a wealth of information about how our system of government was started. Hamilton’s depth of knowledge of how to begin a national bank was quite remarkable given his humble beginnings. Though the book rambled in textbook fashion in some areas, it is well worth the read.
Usually not my kind of book but it is a really interesting and intriguing read.
My brief review: well-written, engrossing, and an unbelievable story. A.H. was a brilliant and interesting man, full of flaws yet willing to share them with the world. Chernow unfolds his story like an epic novel, almost too good to be true.
The book on which the successful Broadway play was based. If you’re looking for an in-depth exploration of a fascinating era in our early years as a nation this is the book. From Hamilton’s struggles as a youth to the final duel it is the epitome of a historical novel.